NEW PALTZ – A man shot himself in the head when the car in which he was riding was pulled over by troopers in the State Thruway Monday afternoon.

A section of the superhighway at New Paltz was closed for hours during the investigation.

A State Trooper stopped a vehicle on the northbound Thruway between exits 18 and 19 and as the officer walked to the car, the front passenger, a 38-year-old man, took out a gun and shot himself in the head.

Emergency medical responders performed first aid and he was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center. His condition is unknown.

There were no injuries to the officer.